Maybe I’m the
real Grinch, because I was instantly annoyed by the news that Illumination
Entertainment had decided to adapt the classic holiday cartoon into a
feature-length animated film. The material had already been stretched out
before, for Ron Howard’s live-action version, which I was also an adamant
critic of. Only the news of Benedict Cumberbatch providing the voice gave me
hope that the film might have a deep English accent to remind me of Boris
Karloff’s iconic narration. From the moment I heard Cumberbatch’s annoying
American accent for the Grinch, I knew I was destined to hate the film. Equally
disappointing was Pharrell Williams as the narrator, who sounds like a dad
reading a book to his kids with the purpose of getting them to fall asleep.

The storyline
for The Grinch contains most of the
familiar elements from the 1966 holiday special, “How the Grinch Stole
Christmas,” while expanding upon a few elements. For one, the character of
Cindy-Lou Who (Cameron Seely) is updated and expanded. Rather than a passive
encounter, Cindy-Lou sets out on a personal mission to catch Santa Claus on
Christmas Eve. As well as the additions, there are some surprising alterations,
most of which soften up the original story and the protagonist’s anti-social
behavior. In short, it is a nicer film, but also a blander version of Dr.
Seuss’ classic children’s book.

There are also
some additions that are downright obnoxious. Some of them are the typical
Illumination quirks in humor, which actually fit pretty well with Dr. Seuss’s
imaginative world-building. And then there is the addition of a rap-song
montage, with new music by Tyler
the Creator. I don’t know why the filmmakers felt the need to make The Grinch more current with pop culture,
but it reeks of desperation. One change that is certain to make dog-lovers
happy is a complete shift in the way The Grinch treats Max. He may still
despise other people, but he is mostly kind to his dog. There are additional
animals as well, including an oversized reindeer named Fred, and a screaming
goat.

Although I never
expected to enjoy The Grinch, I was
expecting the animation to be a bit more impressive. The style is similar to
the Despicable Me series, but this
all looks a bit simplistic on 4K Ultra HD. Rather than seeing more details, I
was more aware of the simplicity in the animation designs. This is less a fault
of the 4K disc and more about animation preferences. The colors certainly pop
off of the screen, but there isn’t the added resolution I was hoping for. Along
with the 4K disc, there is also a Blu-ray and a digital copy of the film.

The special
features are included on both discs, highlighted by three new mini-movies
involving the film’s characters. These also come paired with a making-of
featurette. Many of the extras are interactive in a way that is clearly
intended to provide further enjoyment from the younger viewers, and less of
them actually provide meaningful information about the production. There is a
supplement that allows the viewer to choose four options for a series of
characters from the film, including animation tests. There is also a feature
that teaches kids how to draw The Grinch, a fireplace scene/screensaver, and
two lyrics videos for Tyler
the Creation contributions to the film. Then there are the really pointless
extras, like the one that gives the list of production babies. Overall, the
extras are fitting for a film filled with unnecessary additions.